Work and Pensions Secretary Damian Green insisted yesterday there would be no U-turn on the proposals, which would see the value of people’s homes be used to pay for their home-based care for the first time.

Mrs May will attempt to change the subject with a speech in Wales, which voted to leave in last June’s referendum, warning about the “dire” consequences of Jeremy Corbyn leading the Brexit negotiations.

“There will be no time to waste and no time for a new government to find its way, so the stakes in this election are high,” she will say.

“It is your choice, your decision. Every vote for me and my team in this election will be a vote to strengthen my hand in the negotiations to come. Every vote for any other party – Labour, the Liberal Democrats or Plaid Cymru – is a vote to send Jeremy Corbyn into the negotiating chamber on our behalf.

“That is the stark reality of the choice that we face – the choice we must focus on over the next 17 days. Because our future prosperity depends on getting the next five years right.

“That is why we need someone representing Britain who is 100% committed to the cause. Not someone who is uncertain or unsure, but someone utterly determined to deliver the democratic will of the British people.”

The Conservative leader will also accuse the Labour party of having “taken people in Wales for granted for decades”, therefore being responsible for the “emerging gulf” between public and politicians.